The Tasting Panel magazine

December2010

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PORTRAIT OF AN INDUSTRY LEADER Ray Chadwick HAVING JOINED YOUNG’S MARKET COMPANY IN SEPTEMBER AS CORPORATE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, WINE, THIS VISIONARY INDUSTRY VETERAN WILL BE GUIDING THE OPERATIONS OF WILSON DANIELS LTD., THE VENERATED IMPORT, SALES AND MARKETING COMPANY ORIGINALLY FOUNDED BY JACK DANIELS AND WIN WILSON IN 1978 story and photos by Randy Caparoso exclusive to THE TASTING PANEL J ust prior to joining Young’s, Ray Chadwick served as President and CEO of Diageo Château & Estate Wines and before that, he was Executive Vice President and CFO of Seagram Château & Estate Wines Company. Taking time to chat in the Wilson Daniels office in St. Helena, Chadwick shared some of his perspectives on the current market in terms of his vision for Wilson Daniels. TASTING PANEL: Please explain the relationship between Young’s Market Company and Wilson Daniels Ltd. Ray Chadwick: The Underwood family has operated Young’s Market in California and nine other western states for many, many years. Jack Daniels and Win Wilson started Wilson Daniels in 1978 and ran it successfully until its purchase by the Underwood family in 1996. Wilson Daniels operates indepen- dently of Young’s, as a separate entity. Wilson Daniels’s sales team calls on managers at Young’s Market just as they would any other wine and spirits distributor around the country. The Underwood family is very committed for the long haul. We’ve gotten through probably the worst of the recent economic downturn without having to lay anyone off, and they are determined to see Wilson Daniels continue to bring some of the most spectacular names in the world of wine to even greater heights in the near future. TP: How has Wilson Daniels weathered recent economic storms? RC: Because we run in a fast-moving environ- ment, if you have to react, you’re always better off reacting quickly to market conditions. We’ve done that by adjusting prices, for one thing, because the environment has dictated that. It’s also a time when innovation is important, and Wilson Daniels has a number of innovative brands, like RouteStock and FRENZY. 32 / the tasting panel / december 2010

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